Chapter 7: The Abandoned Brewery
Two months after the Festival of the Tides, the Heroes of Freeport had gone their separate ways. Tyranny, the tiefling nobleman from Reah, had slipped into the crowd on the night of the Festival, and no sign of him had surfaced since. Thea, the dwarven gladiatrix, had stuck around for about a week before leaving, saying only that she had some unfinished business and that it was something she had to do alone. Berrain, the elven archer, had left a few weeks after Thea; concerned with the rumors coming out of his homeland, the Glades, he had gone to investigate. Only Alvyn, the gnomish alchemist, and Haroof, the tiefling bard, still remained in Freeport. The two heroes were sitting in their favorite tavern, the Smiling Eel, and discussing their future with their old friend Roscoe Vanderbilt. Roscoe was of the opinion that it was about time for the two heroes to move on to their next adventure. Since they had restored the peace in Freeport, there was little work to be found for entrepreneurs such as themselves. The two agreed that they had a couple of promising leads, either of which could lead to excitement and profit. First, there was Reah. According to documents that the heroes had discovered in the Shrine of Tymora, the Temple of the Seven was interested in some sort of excavation going on in the Pelorian Wasteland. If the Temple was interested in it, then it was likely something that the party would want to investigate. Second, there was the trouble in the Glades. Some sort of strife was brewing in the Forest of the Fey, and their friend Berrain had already headed in that direction. After some deliberation, the two of them decided to go to Reah and see what the Temple was up to. Roscoe suggested that they head to the West Gate and find someone who would be willing to guide them to the desert. After some searching, they met up with Dirk Diggler, a traveling merchant who agreed to take them along his route in exchange for their protection on the road. The group had barely left the city walls, however, when their way was blocked by a familiar figure: the Templar Knight whom they had spared during their break-in at the Bow, and who had later convinced his comrades to leave the city peacefully. Introducing himself as Uriel, the knight told the heroes that he had lost his faith in the Temple hierarchy. He wanted to repent for his part in Nari's plot by pledging his service to the party and aiding them in their quest. Alvyn and Haroof agreed to take Uriel along, and the group finally got underway toward the Pelorian Wasteland. After traveling for three days, the group came upon Rory's Rest, a popular trading post. Dirk decided to stay for a few days and sell his wares, and he suggested that they all get drinks and rent rooms at the local inn. The place was packed, and the only seats they could find were at a table with an elf and a dwarf. The elf introduced herself as Sydney, mercenary and treasure hunter, and said that she and her companion, Hassan the barbarian, had met here in Rory's Rest a few days ago and struck up a friendship. When the time came to order their drinks, Dirk was disappointed to learn the the famous Ironcask Brew was not available; the owner of the inn, an elderly woman named Roxy, told the group that she had stopped receiving shipments from the Ironcask Brewery about a week ago, and she feared that something bad had happened to the brewers. She offered to pay the adventurers to go and find out what had happened, as her business had begun to suffer as a result. Dirk promised that he would wait for them in Rory's Rest for three days. Sydney and Hassan joined Alvyn, Haroof, and Uriel, and the five of them set out the following morning for the Ironcask Brewery; they reached it just as the sun had begun to set. The brewery consisted of a large main building and a stables area within a shallow valley behind a fence and gate. The gate was locked, but the party scaled the fence and explored the empty building. The front door had been barricaded with a shelf, and rotten food was on the table in the dining room. A number of humanoid and beastly footprints covered the ground outside the open back door; from the looks of things, the brewers had been attacked during their dinner some time ago. They'd attempted to barricade the front door, but their attackers had come through the back and dragged them away. After following the trail of footprints for several hours, the adventurers found a cave, well-hidden behind a small waterfall in a stream. Inside the cave, they were attacked by walking vine monsters; later, they were ambushed and nearly drowned by a group of crocodiles commanded by savage-looking druids. After seeing his allies defeated by the party, the last remaining druid surrendered to their mercy.